North Carolina · NC Math 1 and NC Math 3 · From NCDPI’s specifications

NC Math 1 EOC prep, and NC Math 3 after it

North Carolina has two math end-of-course tests, and they behave quite differently. NC Math 1 includes a section with the calculator switched off; NC Math 3 has none at all and leans much harder on geometry. Both have 60 items, both count for at least 20 percent of the course grade, and for many students the second one is the state’s high school accountability test. Knowing which test your teenager faces, and what each one weights, is the start of preparing well.

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In short

The NC Math 1 and NC Math 3 End-of-Course (EOC) tests are NCDPI’s state exams for those two courses, taken online at the end of the course. Each has 60 items, 50 of them scored, with a graphing calculator; NC Math 1 also has 15 calculator-inactive items. Results count for at least 20 percent of the final course grade. Our Algebra Foundations course covers NC Math 1 live online, with group batches and 1-on-1 options, and our high school course carries on to NC Math 3.

Courses for North Carolina students

Three courses mapped to NC Math 1 and NC Math 3

Algebra for NC Math 1, the wider high school sequence for NC Math 3, and statistics for the share both tests give it.

Algebra Foundations course thumbnail

NE / 01

Algebra foundations

Linear, quadratic and exponential functions: the NC Math 1 core.

Open the syllabus →
High School Mathematics course thumbnail

NE / 02

High school math

Polynomials, circles and trigonometry for NC Math 3.

Open the syllabus →
Statistics & Probability course thumbnail

NE / 03

Statistics and probability

Up to a fifth of NC Math 1, a smaller share of NC Math 3.

Open the syllabus →

Side by side

What is the difference between the NC Math 1 and NC Math 3 EOC?

Same length, same scoring, different calculator rules and different content weights. NCDPI writes one specification for both, which makes the comparison exact.

EOC NC Math 1 and NC Math 3 compared (NCDPI, End-of-Course NC Math 1 and NC Math 3 Tests, North Carolina Test Specifications, April 2026, Tables 3 and 4)
FeatureNC Math 1NC Math 3
Operational items5050
Field test items1010
Total items6060
Calculator inactive operational items15None
Calculator active operational items3550
Points per itemOneOne
CalculatorGraphing, in the calculator-active sectionGraphing, throughout
Estimated timeThree hours (180 minutes) for most studentsThree hours (180 minutes) for most students
Maximum timeFour hours (240 minutes), except documented accommodationsFour hours (240 minutes), except documented accommodations

NC Math 1: the calculator-free fifteen

Fifteen of the 50 scored NC Math 1 items are calculator inactive. That is where simplifying expressions, solving linear equations, working with exponents and factoring are tested without the graphing calculator to check the answer.

Students who rely on Desmos all year often lose points here first. We teach every NC Math 1 skill by hand before we show the calculator shortcut.

NC Math 3: the calculator never leaves

NCDPI’s specification is plain: “The EOC NC Math 3 Test will include only calculator active items.” Every one of the 50 scored items allows the graphing calculator.

That changes the skill: not avoiding the calculator but using it well, to graph a polynomial, find intersections and check a trigonometric answer quickly, so time is left for the reasoning items.

Source: the NCDPI EOC NC Math 1 and NC Math 3 specifications dated April 2026, which we downloaded on 31 October 2026. We are an independent school with no connection to NCDPI.

Domain weights

What is on the NC Math 1 EOC, and what is on NC Math 3?

Four domains of North Carolina’s math standards for high school, adopted in June 2016. The big shift from NC Math 1 to NC Math 3 is geometry, which more than doubles.

Domain weights for the two math EOCs (Table 1 of NCDPI’s April 2026 EOC specifications)
DomainNC Math 1NC Math 3
Number and Quantity and Algebra36 to 40%32 to 36%
Functions32 to 36%32 to 36%
Geometry8 to 12%20 to 24%
Statistics and Probability18 to 20%8 to 12%
Share of EOC items at each Depth of Knowledge level (Table 2 of the same EOC specifications)
CourseDOK 1DOK 2DOK 3
NC Math 120 to 30%60 to 65%8 to 12%
NC Math 320 to 30%60 to 65%8 to 12%

Reading the NC Math 1 weights

Algebra and functions together dominate NC Math 1. Statistics and Probability, at 18 to 20 percent, is larger than Geometry, at 8 to 12 percent, which surprises families who think of geometry as part of every math course.

In practice that means scatter plots, lines of best fit, residuals and two-way tables deserve real lesson time in NC Math 1.

Reading the NC Math 3 weights

Geometry rises to 20 to 24 percent in NC Math 3, while statistics falls to 8 to 12. Circles, their equations and their arcs and angles become a central topic.

The Depth of Knowledge profile is identical for both tests, with 60 to 65 percent at DOK 2. Most items ask for a decision or two linked steps, not recall.

Why it counts

Does the NC Math 1 EOC count toward your grade?

Yes. Under State Board policy TEST-003, schools use results from all EOC assessments as at least twenty percent of the student’s final grade for the course.

What the EOC decides, in NCDPI’s and the State Board’s words (NCDPI State Tests page and the coordinators’ handbook for this school year)
RuleSource wording, in short
Which EOCs existBiology, English II, NC Math 1 and NC Math 3
Who must take oneStudents enrolled for credit in a course with an EOC, at the completion of the course
Course gradeAt least twenty (20) percent of the final grade for each respective course, per TEST-003
Grade 8 students in NC Math 1Sit the course EOC at the end of NC Math 1 and skip the grade 8 EOG, per ACCT-021
Their high school testThe NC Math 3 EOC, for federal accountability
State reportingGrade 11 EOC results in NC Math 1, NC Math 3 and Biology are reported to NCDPI

A fifth of the grade is a lot

A student averaging a B in class who struggles on a test worth at least 20 percent of the final grade can watch the report card grade drop. The reverse is also true: a strong EOC can lift a borderline grade.

The exact conversion from EOC score to course grade is set locally. Ask the school how it applies the 20 percent minimum.

The accelerated path

For an eighth grader enrolled in NC Math 1, the coordinators’ handbook quotes policy ACCT-021: these students take the NC Math 1 EOC at the end of the course and will take the NC Math 3 EOC for federal accountability in high school.

So a student who took NC Math 1 early faces two EOCs several years apart. The NC Math 3 test then matters for the school’s accountability as well as for the course grade.

Read on 31 October 2026: the NCDPI state testing overview and NCDPI’s testing policies handbook for 2026 to 2027.

Worked examples

How do we teach the hardest topics on each test?

One calculator-inactive NC Math 1 problem and one NC Math 3 circle problem, both ours. They share a thread: rewriting an expression until its structure shows.

  1. Our NC Math 1 problem, calculator off. A school sells adult tickets and student tickets. 3 adult and 5 student tickets cost 41; 3 adult and 2 student tickets cost 29. Find each price.
  2. The reasoning, by elimination. Write 3a + 5s = 41 and 3a + 2s = 29. Both have 3a, so subtract the second from the first: 3s = 12, so s = 4. Substitute into the second: 3a + 8 = 29, so 3a = 21 and a = 7. Check in the first: 21 + 20 = 41.
  3. The habit we teach with it. If elimination gives an awkward fraction for a ticket price, reread the numbers before going on. On a calculator-off item there is no screen to catch a copying slip, so the context itself becomes the check.
  4. Our NC Math 3 problem. Find the center and radius of the circle x² + y² - 6x + 4y - 12 = 0.
  5. The reasoning, by completing the square. Group: (x² - 6x) + (y² + 4y) = 12. Half of -6 is -3, squared 9; half of 4 is 2, squared 4. Add both to each side: (x² - 6x + 9) + (y² + 4y + 4) = 25. So (x - 3)² + (y + 2)² = 25: center (3, -2), radius 5.
  6. The thread. Completing the square first appears with quadratics, to find a vertex. In NC Math 3 the same move finds a circle’s center. Students who learned it as a trick in NC Math 1 relearn it in NC Math 3; students who understood it once keep it.

Both problems are ours. NCDPI’s released NC Math 1 and NC Math 3 forms are free for students on the End-of-Course page and in NCTest, but the department reserves them from commercial use, so they stay out of our paid lessons; we point families to them for practice at home.

When and how

When is the NC Math 1 EOC taken?

At the end of the course: in the last five days of a semester, 4x4 block or summer course, or the last ten days of a traditional yearlong course. Your school’s calendar sets the dates.

How and when the two math EOCs are given (NCDPI EOC specifications and the coordinators’ handbook)
ItemRule
Semester, 4x4 or summer courseLast five days of the instructional period
Traditional yearlong courseLast ten days of the instructional period
ModeRequired online in NCTest, with paper kept for approved hardship or a documented accessibility need
LanguageEnglish only
Before test dayEach student must have done the NCTest tutorial at school
Materials on requestGraph paper, scratch paper and a writing utensil

Block schedules test in January too

A student in a fall semester or 4x4 NC Math 1 course takes the EOC in the last five instructional days of that semester, whenever that term ends on the school’s calendar. Yearlong students test in the last ten days of the school year.

The statute quoted in the handbook sets the same rule: the final ten instructional days for yearlong courses and the final five for semester courses.

Practise on the real calculator

NCDPI links a North Carolina version of the Desmos graphing calculator for grade 8 and high school. It is the calculator in NCTest, so it is the one we teach with.

NCDPI also posts an example gridded response space for both tests. Typing a fraction or a negative number correctly into it is worth one rehearsal.

Practice

NC Math 1 and NC Math 3 practice: twelve questions we wrote

Six for each course, at EOC level, with the domain each practises. For NC Math 1, the starred ones are for calculator-off practice.

Original practice (ours, not NCDPI items), with answers
CourseQuestionDomainAnswer
NC Math 1Factor x² - 5x - 14.*Algebra(x - 7)(x + 2)
NC Math 1Simplify (2x³)².*Number and Quantity4x^6
NC Math 1Solve 5 - 2x less than or equal to 11.*Algebrax greater than or equal to -3
NC Math 1f(x) = 2x + 3. Find x when f(x) = 17.Functions7
NC Math 1A population of 800 grows 5 percent a year. Model it.FunctionsP = 800(1.05)^t
NC Math 1Points (1, 4), (2, 6), (3, 9). A line of fit is y = 2.5x + 1.3. Find the residual at x = 3.Statistics0.2
NC Math 3Find the zeros of x³ - 4x.Functions0, 2 and -2
NC Math 3Find the inverse of f(x) = (x - 1)/3.Functionsf^-1(x) = 3x + 1
NC Math 3Solve log base 2 of x = 5.Algebrax = 32
NC Math 3An arc subtends 60 degrees in a circle of radius 9. Find its length.Geometry3 pi
NC Math 3Write the circle with center (-1, 4) and radius 6.Geometry(x + 1)² + (y - 4)² = 36
NC Math 3Simplify (x² - 9)/(x + 3).Algebrax - 3, for x not equal to -3

Two plans

How to study for the NC Math 1 or NC Math 3 EOC

Our plans for the last eight weeks of the course, one per test, counted back from the school’s EOC days.

  1. NC Math 1, weeks 1 and 2: calculator-off algebra. Linear equations, inequalities, exponent rules and factoring by hand, because those are the 15 inactive items.
  2. NC Math 1, weeks 3 and 4: functions. Linear, exponential and quadratic functions, from tables, graphs and context.
  3. NC Math 1, week 5: statistics. Scatter plots, lines of fit, residuals and two-way tables, which together can reach a fifth of the test.
  4. NC Math 1, weeks 6 to 8: mixed rehearsal. The released form at home, our timed sets in class, and one full sitting of about three hours.
  5. NC Math 3, weeks 1 to 3: functions and algebra. Polynomials, rational expressions, inverses, exponentials and logarithms, with the graphing calculator from day one.
  6. NC Math 3, weeks 4 and 5: geometry. Circle equations, arcs, sectors and angle relationships for the 20 to 24 percent share.
  7. NC Math 3, weeks 6 to 8: speed with the calculator. Graph-and-read routines so the reasoning items get time, then a full rehearsal.

For a student retaking the course

We start from the domain where the class grade was weakest and use the domain weights to decide how far to go into each one.

For an accelerated eighth grader

NC Math 1 in grade 8 is the same test as in grade 9. We add more calculator-off practice, since younger students often lean on the calculator early.

Where you start

Matching preparation to your teenager’s course and year

Our advice for common North Carolina paths, built on NCDPI’s rules and weights.

Paths (rules from NCDPI; advice ours)
PathTest to prepare forFocus
NC Math 1 in grade 8NC Math 1 EOC now, NC Math 3 EOC in high schoolCalculator-off algebra
NC Math 1 in grade 9NC Math 1 EOCFunctions and statistics
NC Math 2 this yearNo state math EOC this yearKeep NC Math 1 skills alive for NC Math 3
NC Math 3 in grade 10 or 11NC Math 3 EOCCircles, polynomials and calculator speed
Block or semester scheduleEOC in the last five days of the termStart the plan early in the term

For parents

Find out whether your teenager’s course is yearlong or semester; it changes the test date by months.

Ask how the school applies the 20 percent EOC rule to the final grade.

For students

In NC Math 1, practise without a calculator until it feels normal.

In NC Math 3, learn the graphing calculator so well that it saves time rather than costing it.

The catalogue

High school math courses for North Carolina

NC Math 1 through to AP and the grade 11 ACT.

I

Core

NC Math 1 to 3
II

Tests

Beyond the EOC
III

Earlier

Middle school

How lessons run

Teen-friendly evening slots, scheduled in ET

Weekdays or weekends, flexible: choose your batch, or for a very personalised plan choose 1-on-1 at your convenience, weekend mornings or weekdays.

Weeknights ET

Alongside the course, all term.

Weekends

Three-hour rehearsals before the EOC.

1-on-1

For a semester course with an early test.

By hand first

For NC Math 1’s calculator-inactive items.

Desmos fluency

For every NC Math 3 item.

NCDPI weights

Lesson time follows the domain shares.

Gridded entry

Fractions and negatives typed correctly.

State forms, family use

NCDPI’s practice forms, worked at home.

Batch or private

Fifteen to twenty students, or one to one.

Student work

Built by our students

Teenagers in our classes often code their math. A few projects are on student labs.

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Fees

Fees

Monthly billing in US dollars, no lock-in: many North Carolina families join for the last two months of the course and stop after the EOC.

Free first class

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Group batch

USD 100

a month, billed in US dollars

  • Fifteen to twenty students
  • One teacher to the EOC
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  • Monthly
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One to one

USD 150

a month, billed in US dollars

  • A private teacher
  • Timed to a semester or yearlong course
  • Flexible times
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North Carolina families ask

NC Math 1 and NC Math 3 EOC: questions from parents

How many items does the NC Math 1 EOC have?

NCDPI's April 2026 specifications list 60 items: 50 operational items that count and 10 field-test items that do not. NC Math 3 has the same 60.

Can students use a calculator on NC Math 1?

Yes, a graphing calculator, but 15 of the 50 scored items are calculator inactive. NC Math 3 has no calculator-inactive items; all 50 scored items allow the graphing calculator.

How long is the NC Math 1 EOC?

Plan on roughly three hours; NCDPI caps it at four, and only an accommodation such as Scheduled Extended Time goes beyond that. NC Math 3 runs to the same clock.

Does the NC Math 1 EOC count toward my grade?

Yes. Under State Board policy TEST-003, schools use EOC results as at least 20 percent of the final grade for the course. Your school decides exactly how it applies that minimum.

What is on the NC Math 1 EOC?

Number and Quantity and Algebra at 36 to 40 percent, Functions at 32 to 36 percent, Statistics and Probability at 18 to 20 percent and Geometry at 8 to 12 percent, according to NCDPI.

What is on the NC Math 3 EOC?

Number and Quantity and Algebra at 32 to 36 percent, Functions at 32 to 36 percent, Geometry at 20 to 24 percent and Statistics and Probability at 8 to 12 percent.

When do you take the NC Math 1 EOC?

In the last five days of a semester, 4x4 or summer course, or the last ten days of a traditional yearlong course. Your school calendar sets the actual days.

My 8th grader is in NC Math 1. Which math test do they sit?

Only the NC Math 1 EOC that year. State Board policy ACCT-021 keeps them off the grade 8 EOG, and later, in high school, the NC Math 3 EOC becomes their federal accountability test.

Where can I find an NC Math 1 EOC practice test?

NCDPI posts released forms for NC Math 1 and NC Math 3 on its End-of-Course page and in NCTest, with graph paper and the graphing calculator. Our own practice questions are on this page.

When are your classes?

Weekdays or weekends, flexible: choose your batch, or for a very personalised plan choose 1-on-1 at your convenience, weekend mornings or weekdays. Lessons are scheduled on Eastern Time.

Are you affiliated with NCDPI?

No. We are a tutoring company working independently; neither the state department nor any North Carolina high school is involved in our classes. What we report about the tests is drawn from documents NCDPI publishes for everyone.

Elsewhere on this site

Related pages

More high school math for North Carolina students.

Ninth grade math tutoring

The usual NC Math 1 year.

Algebra 2 tutoring

Much of the NC Math 3 algebra.

Trigonometry tutoring

Right triangles and the unit circle.

ACT math tutoring

The grade 11 test in North Carolina.

Coding classes in Charlotte

For North Carolina families.

Coding and AI in North Carolina

Python and AI classes for NC teens.

Related pages in this guide

Part of the guide: US state math tests by state

High school end-of-course and graduation tests

State tests, grades 3 to 8

Standards behind the tests

More guides: US gifted and selective school tests · US math placement and college readiness tests · Homeschool and school math curricula guide · US math and coding competitions guide

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